Hirschsprung Collection

The Hirschsprung Collection is a compact art museum in Østre Anlæg park, at Stockholmsgade 20 in Copenhagen. Its collection follows Danish art from the 19th and early 20th centuries, with paintings and sculpture from the Danish Golden Age, the Skagen painters and later movements. Look for works by Anna Ancher, Bertha Wegmann, P.S. Krøyer and Vilhelm Hammershøi. Special exhibitions can add interactive elements, including memory games. The museum makes a focused stop for Danish art, especially if you want a smaller visit alongside the nearby National Gallery of Denmark.

A collection of Danish art

The Hirschsprung Collection grew from the private holdings of Heinrich Hirschsprung, a tobacco merchant, and his wife Pauline. They donated the collection to the Danish government before their deaths. The museum opened in 1911 and is devoted mainly to Danish art from the 19th and early 20th centuries.

More than 7,000 works are in the collection, chiefly paintings and sculpture. Its range includes the Danish Golden Age, the Skagen painters and artists associated with later 19th-century movements. Works by Christen Købke, P.S. Krøyer, Vilhelm Hammershøi and Theodor Philipsen are among the names to look for.

Inside the gallery

The museum is housed in a Neoclassical building in Østre Anlæg, a park near the National Gallery of Denmark. Its compact scale makes it possible to concentrate on the collection without planning a full day around the visit.

The presentation is chronological, with substantial space devoted to the Danish Golden Age. Works by women artists, including Anna Ancher and Bertha Wegmann, are also part of the collection. Temporary exhibitions have explored subjects such as artists’ connections with flowers and life at sea, sometimes using sound and interactive features. Memory card games based on artworks are one activity to look for.